Late Song Dynasty: From Imposter Magistrate to Emperor Donning the Imperial Robe

Chapter 138 Beauty Saves "Hero"

After a long silence, Xie Wenyu's somewhat hoarse voice rang out: "What about Cui Shiren? You said before that you sent him out to deliver a message, but that's probably not true, right?"

Li Chong hesitated for a moment, but finally made up his mind.

"I don't want to lie to you, the truth is, I killed him to silence him."

After staring at Li Chong for a moment, Xie Wenyu slowly removed her hand from Li Chong's neck: "I originally planned that if you dared to lie to me again just now, this hairpin would definitely be pierced into your throat."

Li Chong breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, he hadn't misjudged Xie Wenyu. Xie Wenyu's emotions were very unstable at the moment, but her mind was still clear.

Trying to deceive her would be the worst option.

Li Chong said earnestly, "I told you, I was forced to do it, I didn't really want to kill anyone."

He then recounted the whole story of how he killed Cui Shi to Xie Wenyu.

"If you don't believe me, you can send someone out to inquire whether Cui Shi has been going out to indulge in debauchery every day since the bandit suppression was successful. If he hadn't become addicted to gambling and was insatiably greedy, I wouldn't have dared to lay a hand on him."

Xie Wenyu glanced at Li Chong: "You're in charge of this official position, and you're worried about not being able to support a servant? Hypocritical!"

Li Chong said solemnly, "Don't misunderstand. Although I am an imposter in this official position, I am doing my best to serve the people. Since taking office, I have been dedicated to public service and have done many practical things, which is evident to all. The government's money doesn't go into my pocket anyway, so of course I can't afford to support Cui Shi."

Xie Wenyu fell silent again, which was precisely what troubled her.

If Li Chong were a heinous criminal, or if he intended to use the pretense of being an official to extort money and seduce women, Xie Wenyu wouldn't waste any words with him; she would have simply stabbed him to death with a hairpin.

But after observing her these past few days, Li Chong has proven to be a truly good official who is wholeheartedly devoted to serving the people, far superior to her husband.

Moreover, the two slept together for many days, and Li Chong went out early and returned late every day without doing anything to her, proving that he was not a lustful person.

These events made Xie Wenyu hesitate to attack Li Chong immediately, but instead aroused his curiosity.

"Can you tell me?" Xie Wenyu looked at Li Chong, "with your talent and personality, why would you impersonate an official? Don't you know that's a capital offense?"

After saying that, she muttered a few words to herself.

"The sound of phoenix flutes stirs, the jade pot shines, and fish and dragons dance all night long... This poem is so beautifully written."

Li Chong knew that his next answer was a matter of life and death, and he could not be careless.

"I did it to realize my own value, but even more so for the people of Yanggu!"

Xie Wenyu didn't reply, but looked at Li Chong and listened quietly to his answer.

"What was the situation in Yanggu County before I came here? Mountain bandits roamed freely, and corrupt officials were lawless. While it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the people were living in misery, it would be an understatement to say that their livelihoods were in dire straits. Send someone to inquire about these things, and I will not lie."

"You can continue," Xie Wenyu gestured.

Li Chong continued, "Since I took office, I first quelled the mountain bandits, and then won over the hearts of the people. This time, the collection of summer taxes has been praised by the people as a benevolent policy, and everyone bows to thank me. Is this not a meritorious deed? I am not boasting, but if all officials in the world were like me, why would the people be uneasy?"

"You certainly know how to pat yourself on the back."

Xie Wenyu made a sarcastic remark, but then fell silent again.

Her current dilemma is how to deal with Li Chong.

Kill him?

It would be too much to ask Xie Wenyu, a young lady from a sheltered family, to kill someone with her own hands.

She was too indignant to act earlier, but now that she's calmed down, it's impossible for her to do so.

Are we just going to leave it like that?

That's not appropriate either.

Li Chong was not her husband after all, yet he impersonated her husband. How could she let it go so easily?

Not to mention that he had deceived Xie Wenyu. Although nothing had happened between them, Xie Wenyu knew that she had lost her innocence.

She was unwilling to let Li Chong go so easily.

After a long silence, Li Chong, who was quietly awaiting trial, finally received Xie Wenyu's conditions.

"I can let you go, but you must write a confession and prepare to resign from your post immediately. Once you have resigned, I will let you leave, and we will be even. To the outside world, I will say that my husband is dead, and you can resume your original name."

Li Chong suddenly straightened up: "Madam!"

Xie Wenyu frowned: "Shut up! How dare you call me that? I'm only sparing your life because you're not the murderer. Don't push your luck."

"Well... this..." Li Chong stammered for a while before finally saying, "Thank you, Madam Xie, I'll call you that, okay?"

Xie Wenyu nodded.

"Madam Xie, there's no point in talking about restoring my original name. My name is Li Chong, and I haven't taken your husband's identity. There's no need to restore my original name."

"Is this your real name?" Xie Wenyu looked at Li Chong suspiciously, then waved her hand. "It doesn't matter, call me whatever you want. Once you resign from your official post, we'll go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other anymore!"

Li Chong raised his voice, with a hint of deliberate intent: "No! If I leave, what will happen to all the people in the city? Besides, one needs a reason to resign, right?"

Xie Wenyu's face was full of annoyance: "Being an official isn't easy, but resigning isn't? You can just make up some excuse about going home to take care of your parents!"

"But, but..." Li Chong stammered, unable to speak.

Xie Wenyu suddenly realized something and looked at Li Chong suspiciously: "You've said so much, are you trying to stall for time? It's late at night, no one will come."

Li Chong's tense expression suddenly calmed down: "Who said there was no one there?"

Xie Wenyu was taken aback upon hearing this.

Before she could react, a petite figure pounced on her from behind, followed by a cold, stern voice: "Don't move! If you dare move, I'll take your life!"

Zhong Mei somehow crept into the house. Taking advantage of Li Chong attracting Xie Wenyu's attention, she quietly approached and used her small dagger to hold Xie Wenyu hostage.

"Baoqin!" Xie Wenyu said through gritted teeth, "You're all in cahoots! What have you done to Shu'er?"

Although she was a woman, she possessed a fearless courage. Ignoring the dagger still held to her neck, she twisted her body, ready to fight.

Zhong Mei didn't really intend to kill her, and in the suddenness of the situation, she did manage to break free a little, but was quickly pinned down by Zhong Mei again.

Seeing the situation was turning against her, Zhong Mei tossed the dagger to Li Chong, saying, "Come help me right now!"

Li Chong was sweating profusely: "Aim carefully before you throw!"

Zhong Mei nearly stabbed Li Chong.

Seeing that the two women were already tearing at each other, Li Chong didn't dare to be careless. He moved his wrists, grabbed a dagger, and cut the ropes binding him.

In a short while, Xie Wenyu was subdued thanks to the efforts of the two men.

To prevent her from struggling again, Li Chong wrapped her completely in the blanket and tied her with a rope to ensure that she could not escape but could not hurt herself.

Finally, Li Chong was able to ask Zhong Mei how she noticed something was wrong.